China is leading in the race for fifth-generation (5G) development, and 5G connections in China will reach 576 million by 2025, representing over 40 percent of global use, according to the latest EY report sent to the Global Times on Wednesday.
However, it warns that deployment and uptake of 5G will likely be progressive in the domestic market as it will be limited by the near-term supply of devices, equipment and compelling applications, and 5G will not completely change and disrupt the telecom landscape or other industries in the short term.
The report said the 5G has a less aggressive rollout strategy as compared with the 4G network experience, and it forecast China's 5G spending will reach 1.5 trillion yuan ($223 billion) from 2019 to 2025.
As for 4G, it still has tremendous growth potential and will not be replaced in the short term, as strong growth of 4G penetration in China has created ample demand for faster mobile broadband and more data-heavy applications.
The report said that 5G will will co-exist with advanced Long Term Evolution networks for many years to come to provide a relatively seamless user experience.
